Charles r



(No Model.)

0. R. HAY.

CAN PRINTING DEVICE.

No. 431,166. Patented July 1, 1890..

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

CHARLES R. HAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO B. H. MARCHANT, OF SAME PLACE.

CAN-PRINTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,165, dated July 1, 1890.

' Application filed NovembetZZ, 1889. Serial No. 331,231. (Nomodeld' To all whom it may concern: slides C,- the inking-roller ll will be dragged Be it known that I, CHARLES R. HAY, a cit-ifirst across the inking-plate G and then across zen of the United States, residing in the city the printing-surface F, so as to prepare it at and county of San Francisco, State of Calieach time for printing.

fornia, have invented an Improvement inpCan- The cans M are placed in a carrier N, which 5 5 Printing Devices; and I hereby declare the consists of a segment of sufiicient length to following to be a full, clear, and exact descripreceive the can and mounted by means of lugs tion of the same. 0 upon a pin P, about which it is allowed to My invention relates to a novel device for swivel or turn. A stud Q extends down from printing upon the exterior surface of cans, the front of the carrier N and is surrounded 6c and it is especially applicable to take the by a spiral spring R, the lower end of which place of labels for cans containing fruit,fish, rests upon the sliding support S of the canor other substances which are usually packed holder. It will be seen that by this construcin hermetically-sealed cans and afterward lation the can-holder may be tilted forward by I 5 beled by pasting paper labels upon them. pressure upon its front-portion,and the spring 65 My invention consists in certain details of R will be compressed to allow it to tilt; but construction, which will be more fully eX- afteritis released the spring will return it to its plained by reference to the accompanying former position. This can-holder is mounted, drawings, in which as before described, upon the transversely- Figure 1 is a general view of my apparatus. moving slide S,Whichtravelsin suitableguides 70 Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Fig. 3 is a de- T just in front of the flexible printing plate or tailed view of the can-carrier. surface F. One of the ends of the can-holder A is a suitable frame-Work for supporting N is made just high enough to form a stop the various parts of the mechanism, and B When the can is put into the holder. The

are grooved guides or channels formed in the other head U is made movable, and is ad- 75. upper horizontal side timbers of the frame. justed by means of a screwV, passing through Within these guides the arms 0 are fitted to the stationary head XV, so that by turning travel, these arms forming the frame from the screw the movable head U may be adwhich the carrier D is suspended. This carjusted to suit any length of can which is to rier is supported from the arms O by elastic be placed in the holder.

springs E, which allow it to rise and fall and Beneath the slide S is a spring X, extendaccommodate itself to the surface of the can ing transversely and parallel with the line of as it passes over it. travel of the slide S.

F is the printing block or type, which is The operation of the machine will then be 5 constructed of any flexible substance and as follows: By the action of the springX the suitably fixed upon the bed of the machine. can-holder N and its slide are drawn to one G is an inking plate, and 1-1 an inkingside of the machine, so that a can may be roller. This inkingroller is suspended by placed in the holder. The holder is then arms I, which are suitably connected with the pushed in until the can is within the frame 4 o rearmost of the sliding bars or guides C. The of the machine and in line with the printingo roller proper is journaled upon ayoke J ,Which block F. Vith the other hand the operhas a stem K, extending upward from its cenator then grasps the handle 0 and moves tral portion and surrounded by a spiral the carrier 1) forward. The front edge of the spring L. The rod or stem K slides through carrier striking the can causes the holder N 5 the upper end of the suspending frame-work, to tilt about its fulcru1n-shaft P, and thus and the action of the spring Lis to press upon allow the can to roll out, and the continued the yoke J and hold the roller II down with action of the carrier D rolls the can across an elastic pressure. the printing-surface F, so that the surface of Whenever the carrier D is moved forward, the can will be printed upon, after which it 50 by grasping the handle 0, which unites the rolls off at the end of the flexible printing 10o block and may be suitably disposed of. As soon as the can has left the holder the latter is released, and the action of the spring X immediately draws it out to one side of the frame, and this allows the inking-roller l l, which has passed over the inking-plate G, to follow on and pass over the printing-surface F, thus preparing it for the next can.

If it is desired to print in more than one color, I employ a marker or guide Y, which projects upwardly from the slide U of the can-holder and has a point or indicator to which the can may be adjusted for the first printing, and afterward adjusted to the same point for printing the second color, so that the colors will register exactly. By means of this device I am enabled to print labels upon cans containing hermetically-sealed goods with great rapidity, and the expense and time needed for putting on proper labels is avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A printing block or surface, an inkingplate, and an inking-roller arranged as shown, a holder into which the can may be introduced and from which it maybe delivered so as to roll over the printing-surface, and a moving carrier traveling in guides abovethe can, whereby the can may be moved out of its holder and caused to roll across the printingsurface, substantially as herein described.

2. A printing-surface, an inking-plate arranged upon a bed, one behind the other, a

tilting can-holder adapted to slide transversely across said bed, so as to receive a can and to hold it in line with the printing-surface, a carrier traveling in guides above the printing-bed and having an inking-rollersuspended from it so as to travel over the inkingplate and the printing-surface, and a handle, whereby the carrier may be moved along the slides, substantially and for the purpose herein described.

3. A printing-surface fixed upon the bed,a can-holder mounted upon a transversely-moving slide, whereby it may be withdrawn to one side of the printing-bed to receive the can and move forward into line with the printing-surface, a hinged support for said carrier, and a spring connecting to hold it upright and return it to that position after it has been tilted to discharge the can, substan-' pended by elastic springs from a carrying yoke, slides traveling in horizontal guides above the printingtable and having said yokes attached to them, so that the forward movement of the carrier will cause it to engage the surface of the can and roll the latter over the printing-surface, substantially as herein described.

6. The improvement in labeling cylindrical cans, consisting of a fixed printing-surface, a a tilting holder into which the can is placed, and a horizontally-moving carrier adapted to move above the can, whereby the can is caused to roll across the printing-surface and be imprinted thereby, substantially as herein described.

7. A fixed printing-surface,'a transverselymoving can-holder adapted to tilt so as to deliver the can upon the printin -surface, a horizontally-moving carrier guided so as to travel above and in contact with the top of the can, an inking-plate situated behind the printing-surface, and the flexibly-suspended inking-roller suspended from the carrierframe so as to travel over the inking-plate and the printing-surface when the carrierframe is moved forward and after the cancarrier has been withdrawn from its line of travel, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHAS. R. I-IAY. Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, J. H. BLooD. 

